Cook County judge gives ex-attorney 8-year theft sentence

April 5, 2018

CHICAGO (AP) — A Cook County judge has sentenced a disbarred suburban Chicago attorney to eight years in prison for stealing from clients.

The Chicago Tribune reports that Judge Timothy Joyce ordered Lino Menconi of Schaumburg immediately taken into custody on Tuesday. Jurors convicted Menconi of theft in February. The Illinois Supreme Court disbarred Menconi in 2014 after the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission accused him of stealing more than $600,000 from clients.

Prosecutors say Menconi mislead elderly and ailing clients so that he could use their money for his children’s tuition, secretary wages and country club dues. Prosecutors say Menconi cited personal problems to explain why he mishandled the money, including depression, health problems and a failed marriage.